Hi - this is Srinivasan Sampathkumar from Triplicane. I have a passion for Marine Insurance, Cricket and of course Temples especially Thiruvallikkeni.
From Sept 2009, I am posting my thoughts in this blog ; From July 2010, my postings on Temples & Tamil are on my other blog titled "Kairavini Karayinile " (www.tamil.sampspeak.in)
Request you to keep providing your feedback which will help me improve and present better.

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Is Australia
shattered ? –would wait for a day to write more on that !! .. Mornington is a
seaside town in Peninsular Victoria,
Australia, located 57 km (35 mi) south of Melbourne's central business
district. Mornington is known for its
"village" atmosphere and its beautiful beaches. All eyes and talks were on the Gold Trail, clear favourite, but had a sad
ending !

Down under, North
Queensland is bracing as Cyclone Debbie is set to cross the coast as a
destructive category 4. Cyclone Debbie is expected to bring 120km/h winds and gusts
of 240kmh, with tens of thousands of Queenslanders urged to evacuate. People living in low-lying areas in Mackay
were urged to evacuate on Monday afternoon due to a predicted storm surge of up
to 2.5 metres, with up to 25,000 people affected and residents told to prepare
for flooding. Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie is currently a powerful tropical
cyclone off the coast of Queensland. It was the first cyclone to reach severe
tropical cyclone intensity and the strongest cyclone in the Australian region
since Cyclone Quang in April 2015.

The weather Bureau has
predicted Cyclone Debbie would make landfall as a category four tropical
cyclone between Ayr and Cape Hillsborough, north of Mackay. Destructive winds of more than 125 kilometres
per hour were already occurring about the Whitsunday Islands, and thousands
were without power in Cannonvale, Airlie Beach and parts of Mackay.

At Dharamshala,
a storm of a different kind blew over ! ~ the Q is has India, all but won the
war, though the battle is far from over.
It is 87 more as we keep fingers crossed, reading history .. .. .. .. 120 is the lowest target India have failed to
chase down, in Bridgetown in 1997; the
lowest Australia have defended versus India is 231 in Kolkata in 1956-57. At
the end of third day, India need 87 more with all wickets remaining. So,
statistics are to be believed..

On the
ground, the relations exploded again after Murali Vijay claimed a grounded
catch -before cameras captured Steve Smith calling him a “f---ing cheat”. That was not to assume any scandalous
proportions as Indian players were called back on to the field after sprinting
off, thinking the Australian innings was over. Umpires were left in some doubt
from replays that Vijay had appealed for a catch from No.11 Josh Hazlewood when
the ball had bounced into his hands. Australian batting coach Graeme Hick was
prepared to give Vijay the benefit of the doubt, but not the Aussie skipper. Cameras scanned up to the Australian
dressingrooms to show Smith — who had left his seat to prepare to field —
mouthing the expletive-laden assessment of Vijay.

On the
field, Wade refused to let the demonstration go without action from the
Australian team and his niggling words were picked up by the Star Sports
effects microphone. The Star Sports vision showed Wade & Jadeja exchanging verbal barbs from opposite ends of
the pitch. Getting closer Wade asked - “You
called me it. I just want to know what it is,” Wade said after Jadeja addressed
him in Hindi.

“Wait until you come down here and say it.
Wait until you get down here, mate.”When umpire Ian “Gunner” Gould ordered the
two players to calm down, Wade made sure he landed the final verbal blow. “We
are all right, I’ll get a selfie with him at the end of the game. We’ll put it
on Instagram,” he said to the umpire. Jadeja’s Instagram account, which is
littered with glamorous “selfie” pictures, appears to be infamous within the
Australian camp. Aussies always feel
that they only have the right to talk, read as sledge, abuse !

Downunder, the Mornington Cup proved to be one of triumph and
tragedy for global powerhouse Godolphin as it won the race with Tally but lost
fourth placegetter The Gold Trail after he broke down 100m past the winning
post. Tally’s victory was overshadowed by what happened to the short-priced
favourite English stayer The Gold Trail, who faltered badly in front of a
shocked crowd. His jockey Craig Williams
was flipped off the galloper and was thrown into the turf. Williams was knocked
out for a brief period but soon regained consciousness. He was later
transported to the Frankston Hospital for observation but was conscious, moving
and talking to medical staff.

Not a happy ending
for the horse, as there was a report stating - unfortunately #TheGoldTrail
could not be saved after suffering fractures in near fore sesamoid today. Chief
steward Brent Wright said nothing could be done to save The Gold Trail. Wright said The Gold Trail would be taken to
Werribee Veterinary Clinic for an autopsy. The well-performed stayer had won
his past two starts at Doncaster in the United Kingdom last September and at
Meydan, Dubai, in January.